1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to infant carrying devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ergonomic infant car seat.
2. Description of Related Art
Infant car seats serve three primary functions. First, they are commonly used as a safe method to transport infants and small children in a vehicle. Secondly, they are used to provide a convenient and safe method to manually transport the infant or small child from one point to another, including the transit between a residence and car. Thirdly, they hold the infant or small child in a comfortable manner while the vehicle is being driven or while the seat is being transported.
A traditional infant car seat is typically comprised of a plastic seat shell having a seat back for supporting the infant, a rotatable U-shaped lifting handle that extends laterally across the seat for lifting and carrying the seat, a safety harness system and padding for the comfort of the child.
The infant car seats currently on the market have been designed to be extremely comfortable and safe for the infant. However, they cannot be comfortably carried by an adult. The position of the rotatable lifting handle forces the carrier's arm to extend outward awkwardly, and the seat often falls against the carrier's leg in an uncomfortable manner when carrying the seat. Other alternative methods of carrying the seat (e.g. with the rotatable lifting handle held in the crook of the carrier's elbow) are also unnatural. In addition, both of these may be a contributing factor to bad posture.
Although some changes have been made to the rotatable lifting handle design, none have significantly improved the problem of discomfort while carrying such a seat.
Other changes have incorporated padded sections on the seat shell or alternative carrying handles, but none have gone far enough to allow for a comfortable or healthy way to carry the seat. The padded sections are only a superficial solution, and the fixed position of the alternative carrying handles drastically limits the potential benefits of such a solution.
Therefore, what is needed is an infant car seat that does not cause discomfort to the carrier, and simultaneously provides comfort and safety to an infant in the car seat.